产溶剂梭菌分子遗传操作技术研究进展

产溶剂梭菌是一类重要的工业微生物.通过遗传改造以优化产溶剂梭菌的发酵性能一直是溶剂制造技术研究的重要课题,但长期受限于该类菌并不完善的遗传操作工具,未见明显突破.近年来,随着TargeTron基因中断、大片段基因整合等新技术和新方法的出现,其分子遗传改造已取得较大进展.文中对产溶剂梭菌的分子遗传操作工具研究进展进行了总结,并指出了现有技术在效率及全面性方面的不足.基于此,今后应进一步优化现有的梭菌基因失活技术,如建立基于同源重组的基因删除和替换;同时也应发展新的分子操作技术,如基因组多位点共编辑、多拷贝定点和随机整合等.     

Acetone production in solventogenic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clostridium</Emphasis> species: new insights from non-enzymatic decarboxylation of acetoacetate

Development of a butanologenic strain with high selectivity for butanol production is often proposed as a possible route for improving the economics of biobutanol production by solventogenic Clostridium species. The acetoacetate decarboxylase (aadc) gene encoding acetoacetate decarboxylase (AADC), which catalyzes the decarboxylation of acetoacetate into acetone and CO₂, was successfully disrupted by homologous recombination in solventogenic Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 to generate an aadc ⁻ mutant. Our fermentation studies revealed that this mutant produces a maximum acetone concentration of 3 g/L (in P2 medium), a value comparable to that produced by wild-type C. beijerinckii 8052. Therefore, we postulated that AADC-catalyzed decarboxylation of acetoacetate is not the sole means for acetone generation. Our subsequent finding that non-enzymatic decarboxylation of acetoacetate in vitro, under conditions similar to in vivo acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) fermentation, produces 1.3 to 5.2 g/L acetone between pH 6.5 and 4 helps rationalize why various knock-out and knock-down strategies designed to disrupt aadc in solventogenic Clostridium species did not eliminate acetone production during ABE fermentation. Based on these results, we discuss alternatives to enhance selectivity for butanol production.     

Precision genome editing in plants via gene targeting and piggyBac‐mediated marker excision

Precise genome engineering via homologous recombination (HR)‐mediated gene targeting (GT) has become an essential tool in molecular breeding as well as in basic plant science. As HR‐mediated GT is an extremely rare event, positive–negative selection has been used extensively in flowering plants to isolate cells in which GT has occurred. In order to utilize GT as a methodology for precision mutagenesis, the positive selectable marker gene should be completely eliminated from the GT locus. Here, we introduce targeted point mutations conferring resistance to herbicide into the rice acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene via GT with subsequent marker excision by piggyBac transposition. Almost all regenerated plants expressing piggyBac transposase contained exclusively targeted point mutations without concomitant re‐integration of the transposon, resulting in these progeny showing a herbicide bispyribac sodium (BS)‐tolerant phenotype. This approach was also applied successfully to the editing of a microRNA targeting site in the rice cleistogamy 1 gene. Therefore, our approach provides a general strategy for the targeted modification of endogenous genes in plants.     

CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated genome modification in the mollusc,Crepidula fornicata

The discovery and application of the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing method has greatly enhanced the ease with which transgenic manipulation can occur. We applied this technology to the mollusc, Crepidula fornicata, and have successfully created transgenic embryos expressing mCherry fused to endogenous β‐catenin. Specific integration of the fluorescent reporter was achieved by homologous recombination with a β‐catenin‐specific donor DNA containing the mCherry coding sequence. This fluorescent gene knock‐in strategy permits in vivo observations of β‐catenin expression during embryonic development and represents the first demonstration of CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated transgenesis in the Lophotrochozoa superphylum. The CRISPR/Cas9 method is a powerful and economical tool for genome modification and presents an option for analysis of gene expression in not only major model systems, but also in those more diverse species that may not have been amenable to the classic methods of transgenesis. This approach will allow one to generate transgenic lines of snails for future studies. genesis 53:237–244, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

毕赤酵母基因编辑技术研究进展

巴斯德毕赤酵母是一种重要的蛋白表达系统,基因编辑技术作为代谢工程的基本工具,对于毕赤酵母的代谢改造十分重要。近十年基因编辑技术发展迅速,除传统的同源重组和Cre/loxP重组外,相继出现了许多新的基因编辑技术,例如ZFN、TALEN和CRISPR/Cas9等,这些技术的出现使基因编辑更加简便高效。本文对毕赤酵母中传统和新型基因编辑技术的原理应用和研究进展进行了简要综述,并结合相关领域的发展对毕赤酵母基因编辑技术的发展进行了展望。     

一种新型的CRISPR/Cas9-hLacI双链DNA供体适配基因编辑系统

在CRISPR/Cas9系统介导的基因编辑中,借助于双链DNA （double-stranded DNA,dsDNA）供体模板的重组效应能够实现对目标基因组靶位点的精确编辑和基因敲入,然而高等真核生物细胞中同源重组的低效性限制了该基因编辑策略的发展和应用。为提高CRISPR/Cas9系统介导dsDNA供体模板的同源重组效率,本研究利用大肠杆菌（Escherichia coli）乳糖操纵子阻遏蛋白LacI与操纵序列LacO特异性结合的特点,通过重组DNA技术将密码子人源化优化的阻遏蛋白基因LacI分别与脓链球菌（Streptococcus pyogenes）源的SpCas9和路邓葡萄球菌（Staphylococcus lugdunensis）源的SlugCas9-HF融合表达,通过PCR将操纵序列LacO与dsDNA供体嵌合,构建了新型的CRISPR/Cas9-hLacI供体适配系统（donor adapting system,DAS）。首先在报告载体水平上对Cas9核酸酶活性、DAS介导的同源引导修复（homology-directed repair,HDR）效率进行了验证和优化,其次在基因组水平对其介导的基因精确编辑进行了检测,并最终利用CRISPR/SlugCas9-hLacI DAS在HEK293T细胞中实现了VEGFA位点的精确编辑,效率高达30.5%,显著高于野生型。综上所述,本研究开发了新型的CRISPR/Cas9-hLacI供体适配基因编辑系统,丰富了CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑技术种类,为以后的基因编辑及分子设计育种研究提供了新的工具。     

乳酸菌的基因组编辑技术研究进展

乳球菌(Lactococcussp.)和乳杆菌(Lactobacillussp.)是工业上常用的乳酸菌(lacticacid bacteria,LAB),长期应用于食品和饮料的发酵。近年来,随着分子操作及遗传改造技术的不断完善,推动了乳球菌和乳杆菌的基础和应用研究,其作为功能菌株和工业微生物细胞工厂的重要潜能也不断突显出来。本文综述了工业常用乳酸菌的基因组编辑技术研究进展,着重介绍了基于整合质粒的敲除、敲入,基于基因组重组工程的精细修饰和敲除、敲入,以及基于成簇的规律性间隔的短回文重复序列及其相关蛋白9[(clusteredregularlyinterspacedshortpalindromicrepeats(CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated nuclease9 (Cas9), CRISPR/Cas9]系统的基因组编辑技术。     

Allele exchange at the EPSPS locus confers glyphosate tolerance in cassava

Effective weed control can protect yields of cassava (Manihot esculenta) storage roots. Farmers could benefit from using herbicide with a tolerant cultivar. We applied traditional transgenesis and gene editing to generate robust glyphosate tolerance in cassava. By comparing promoters regulating expression of transformed 5‐enolpyruvylshikimate‐3‐phosphate synthase (EPSPS) genes with various paired amino acid substitutions, we found that strong constitutive expression is required to achieve glyphosate tolerance during in vitro selection and in whole cassava plants. Using strategies that exploit homologous recombination (HR) and nonhomologous end‐joining (NHEJ) DNA repair pathways, we precisely introduced the best‐performing allele into the cassava genome, simultaneously creating a promoter swap and dual amino acid substitutions at the endogenous EPSPS locus. Primary EPSPS‐edited plants were phenotypically normal, tolerant to high doses of glyphosate, with some free of detectable T‐DNA integrations. Our methods demonstrate an editing strategy for creating glyphosate tolerance in crop plants and demonstrate the potential of gene editing for further improvement of cassava.     

CRISPR‐based genome editing and expression control systems in Clostridium acetobutylicum and Clostridium beijerinckii

Solventogenic clostridia are important industrial microorganisms that produce various chemicals and fuels. Effective genetic tools would facilitate physiological studies aimed both at improving our understanding of metabolism and optimizing solvent productivity through metabolic engineering. Here we have developed an all‐in‐one, CRISPR‐based genome editing plasmid, pNICKclos, that can be used to achieve successive rounds of gene editing in Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 and Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 with efficiencies varying from 6.7% to 100% and 18.8% to 100%, respectively. The plasmid specifies the requisite target‐specific guide RNA, the gene encoding the Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 nickase and the genome editing template encompassing the gene‐specific homology arms. It can be used to create single target mutants within three days, with a further two days required for the curing of the pNICKclos plasmid ready for a second round of mutagenesis. A S. pyogenes dCas9‐mediated gene regulation control system, pdCASclos, was also developed and used in a CRISPRi strategy to successfully repress the expression of spo0A in C. acetobutylicum and C. beijerinckii. The combined application of the established high efficiency CRISPR‐Cas9 based genome editing and regulation control systems will greatly accelerate future progress in the understanding and manipulation of metabolism in solventogenic clostridia.     

微生物基因功能的研究策略与方法

微生物基因功能的研究对于揭示微生物生命活动的规律及其在食品发酵、医药卫生、工农业生产等领域的应用机制具有重要意义。经过数十年的发展,微生物基因功能的研究方法已经从传统的同源重组技术发展到基于核酸内切酶的高效打靶技术,将微生物基因功能的研究推向了新的高度。文章就微生物基因功能的研究策略及常用方法做一综述,主要包括生物信息学方法预测、基因表达谱分析、基因敲除技术、基因敲入技术、基因沉默技术和基因编辑技术等。     

酿酒酵母基因编辑技术研究进展

酿酒酵母Saccharomyces cerevisiae是代谢工程中最重要的宿主之一,先进的基因编辑技术已经被广泛应用于酿酒酵母细胞工厂的设计和构建。随着基因编辑技术的飞速发展,早期基于重组酶和同源重组的基因编辑技术逐渐被新型基因编辑系统所替代。文中对酿酒酵母基因编辑技术的原理和应用进行了总结,包括经典的酿酒酵母基因编辑技术,基于核酸内切酶的MegNs、ZFNs和TALENs等基因组编辑系统,最后介绍和讨论了基于CRISPR/Cas系统、异源代谢途径多拷贝整合和基因组规模基因编辑的最新研究进展,并对酿酒酵母基因编辑技术的应用前景和发展方向进行了展望。     

CRISPR/Cas基因组编辑技术在乳酸菌中的应用及研究展望

乳酸菌是一类重要的食品工业微生物,目前对其功能基因鉴定和挖掘优良功能基因主要依赖于传统的基因同源重组技术,该技术尽管有较高的可靠性,但是存在操作繁琐、效率低下等不足,严重制约了乳酸菌优良菌株的遗传选育。CRISPR/Cas基因编辑技术极大提升了对多物种基因组的编辑效率,这为乳酸菌功能基因的快速鉴定及遗传改良提供了可能,但是现有的CRISPR/Cas基因编辑技术在乳酸菌的应用还存在诸多限制。本文综述了CRISPR/Cas基因编辑技术在乳酸菌基因组上的应用现状及亟待解决的问题,并展望了乳酸菌基因组编辑技术的未来发展趋势,为乳酸菌功能基因鉴定及遗传改良提供参考。     

CRISPR/Cas9技术在非模式植物中的应用进展

基因组编辑技术的出现对植物遗传育种及作物性状的改良产生了深远意义。CRISPR/Cas(clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat)是由成簇规律间隔短回文重复序列及其关联蛋白组成的免疫系统,其作用是原核生物(40%细菌和90%古细菌)用来抵抗外源遗传物质(噬菌体和病毒)的入侵。该技术实现了对基因组中多个靶基因同时进行编辑,与前两代基因编辑技术:锌指核酶(ZFNs)和转录激活因子样效应物核酶(TALENs)相比更加简单、廉价、高效。目前CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑技术已在拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)、烟草(Nicotiana benthamiana)、水稻(Oryza sativa)、小麦(Triticum aestivum)、玉米(Zea mays)、番茄(tomato)等模式植物和多数大作物中实现了定点基因组编辑,其应用范围不断地向各类植物扩展。但与模式植物和一些大作物相比,CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑技术在非模式植物,尤其在一些小作物的应用中存在如载体构建、靶点设计、脱靶检测、同源重组等问题有待进一步完善。该文对CRISPR/Cas9技术在非模式植物与小作物研究的最新研究进展进行了总结,讨论了该技术目前在非模式植物、小作物应用的局限性,在此基础上提出了相关改进策略,并对CRISPR/Cas9系统在非模式植物中的研究前景进行了展望。     

Multiplex Gene Disruption by Targeted Base Editing of Yarrowia lipolytica Genome Using Cytidine Deaminase Combined with the CRISPR/Cas9 System

The oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica has a tendency to use the non‐homologous end joining repair (NHEJ) over the homology directed recombination as double‐strand breaks (DSB) repair system, making it difficult to edit the genome using homologous recombination. A recently developed Target‐AID (activation‐induced cytidine deaminase) base editor, designed to recruit cytidine deaminase (CDA) to the target DNA locus via the CRISPR/Cas9 system, can directly induce C to T mutation without DSB and donor DNA. In this study, this system is adopted in Y. lipolytica for multiplex gene disruption. Target‐specific gRNA(s) and a fusion protein consisting of a nickase Cas9, pmCDA1, and uracil DNA glycosylase inhibitor are expressed from a single plasmid to disrupt target genes by introducing a stop codon via C to T mutation within the mutational window. Deletion of the KU70 gene involved in the NHEJ prevents the generation of indels by base excision repair following cytidine deamination, increasing the accuracy of genome editing. Using this Target‐AID system with optimized expression levels of the base editor, single gene disruption and simultaneous double gene disruption are achieved with the efficiencies up to 94% and 31%, respectively, demonstrating this base editing system as a convenient genome editing tool in Y. lipolytica.     

基因组编辑技术中供体DNA类型及选择

基因组编辑技术能够实现基因组的精确修饰和改造,是后基因组时代研究基因功能和遗传信息的主要手段。传统的基因打靶技术通过低效率的细胞自发同源重组实现目的基因的定点修饰。真核细胞中DNA双链断裂介导的同源重组效率远高于自发同源重组,利用人工核酸内切酶特异性地在基因组靶序列处引入双链断裂,通过提供适当形式的、含有一定长度同源臂的供体DNA,能够实现相对高效的基因组靶向编辑。本文系统总结了环状质粒、线性化质粒、聚合酶链式反应产物及单链寡聚脱氧核苷酸4种类型的供体DNA在基因组精确编辑研究中的应用及候选原则,以期为以后相关研究中供体DNA的选择、设计提供参考和借鉴。     

Recombination products suggest the frequent occurrence of aberrant gene replacement in the moss Physcomitrella patens

In gene replacement, a variant of gene targeting, transformed DNA integrates into the genome by homologous recombination (HR) to replace resident sequences. Gene replacement in the moss Physcomitrella patens is extremely efficient, but often large amounts of additional DNA are integrated at the target locus. A detailed analysis of recombination junctions of PpCOL2 gene knockout mutants shows that the integrated DNA can be highly rearranged. Our data suggest that the replaced sequences were excised by HR and became integrated back into the genome by non‐homologous end‐joining (NHEJ). RAD51‐mediated strand‐invasion and subsequent strand‐exchange is central to the two‐end invasion pathway, the major gene replacement pathway in yeast. In this pathway, integration is initiated by the free ends of a single replacement vector‐derived donor molecule which then integrates as an entity. Gene replacement in P. patens is entirely RAD51‐dependent suggesting the existence of a pathway mechanistically similar to two‐end invasion. However, invasion of the two ends does not seem to be stringently coordinated in P. patens. Actually, often only one fragment end became integrated by HR, or one‐sided integration of two independent donor fragments occurred simultaneously leading to a double‐strand break that is subsequently sealed by NHEJ and thus causes the observed rearrangements.     

Hypermutagenesis in mutA cells is mediated by mistranslational corruption of polymerase, and is accompanied by replication fork collapse

Elevated mistranslation induces a mutator response termed translational stress‐induced mutagenesis (TSM) that is mediated by an unidentified modification of DNA polymerase III. Here we address two questions: (i) does TSM result from direct polymerase corruption, or from an indirect pathway triggered by increased protein turnover? (ii) Why are homologous recombination functions required for the expression of TSM under certain conditions, but not others? We show that replication of bacteriophage T4 in cells expressing the mutA allele of the glyV tRNA gene (Asp→Gly mistranslation), leads to both increased mutagenesis, and to an altered mutational specificity, results that strongly support mistranslational corruption of DNA polymerase. We also show that expression of mutA, which confers a recA‐dependent mutator phenotype, leads to increased lambdoid prophage induction (selectable in vivo expression technology assay), suggesting that replication fork collapse occurs more frequently in mutA cells relative to control cells. No such increase in prophage induction is seen in cells expressing alaV^Glu tRNA (Glu→Ala mistranslation), in which the mutator phenotype is recA‐independent. We propose that replication fork collapse accompanies episodic hypermutagenic replication cycles in mutA cells, requiring homologous recombination functions for fork recovery, and therefore, for mutation recovery. These findings highlight hitherto under‐appreciated links among translation, replication and recombination, and suggest that translational fidelity, which is affected by genetic and environmental signals, is a key modulator of replication fidelity.